Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Note to Rock Hall: Get back to basics


With the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame preparing nominations for this year’s induction ceremony, it is important that the body pick an exciting, back-to-basics slate of candidates.
I won’t quarrel with the hall’s recent choices, but I wish they rocked a little harder.
Next year will mark the 75th anniversary of what’s considered the first major rock concert, the Moondog Coronation Ball. It was held in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 21, 1952.
So, the voters should keep that milestone event in mind when picking acts from their embarrassingly large backlog of artists.
Rockers who have been previously nominated but not inducted include Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Steppenwolf and Thin Lizzy.
Some other rockers I’d like to see nominated include INXS, No Doubt, Phil Collins, Scorpions and Smashing Pumpkins.
Other people have suggested Boston, Mötley Crüe, Melissa Etheridge, Styx and REO Speedwagon.
Come on, Rock Hall, focus more on rock music this year.

Photo: No Doubt promotional art for their residency at the Las Vegas Sphere.

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Sunday, January 25, 2026

Music residencies make Las Vegas an entertainment destination


For older, established music artists, there’s no need to tour when fans can come to you. That’s the point behind music residencies in Las Vegas, which has become more a destination for entertainment and sports than gambling.
Earlier this month, I saw Jennifer Lopez perform at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace as part of her “Up All Night” residency. JLo put on a great show, singing and dancing to her pop hits and Broadway classics.
The Colosseum has hosted residencies for Adele, Celine Dion, Elton John and more. Aside from JLo, other current and upcoming residencies include Blake Shelton, Def Leppard, Cyndi Lauper, Rod Stewart and Kelly Clarkson.
Another site of Las Vegas residencies is the iconic Sphere arena. It’s hosted U2, the Eagles, Backstreet Boys and Phish. Upcoming shows include No Doubt and Kenny Chesney.
The Dolby Live theater at Park MGM has hosted residencies for Bruno Mars, Janet Jackson, Usher, Maroon 5 and Mariah Carey. Current and upcoming residencies include Zayn Malik and Mary J. Blige.
The Venetian Theatre has featured residencies by Foreigner and The B-52s. Current and upcoming residences include Styx, Collective Soul and Chicago.
Entertainment has become more important to Las Vegas as casino gambling has spread across the U.S. In the past, casinos were only legal in Nevada and New Jersey.
Sports is another tourist draw with the opening in July 2020 of Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders NFL football team.
Plus, the former Oakland Athletics are building a baseball stadium on the Las Vegas Strip. That ballpark for the Las Vegas A’s is due to open spring 2028.
There’s also the T-Mobile Arena, which hosts the Vegas Golden Knights NHL hockey team as well as Ultimate Fighting Championship matches, concerts and other events.

Related articles:

The top 5 greatest Las Vegas residencies of all time (TheStreet; Jan. 9, 2026)

Photo: Promotional photo for Jennifer Lopez residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.



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Saturday, January 24, 2026

‘The Wizard of Oz at Sphere’ was amazing. But what’s next?


The reimagined version of the classic MGM musical “The Wizard of Oz” at the Sphere in Las Vegas is an amazing experience. And it makes you wonder: What could the innovative surround-experience theater do with other old movies?
I watched, rather, experienced “The Wizard of Oz” at the Sphere earlier this month. The beloved 1939 film was digitally upgraded into an immersive movie that dazzles the senses. It fills your field of vision, allowing you to look up and around in the worlds of Oz and Kansas.
It also whips up the wind and blows leaves for the tornado sequence and drops foam apples when the angry apple trees are throwing fruit at Dorothy. Robotic butterflies and flying monkeys also cruise above the audience during their scenes. Plus, the seats rumble and there are other effects.
“The Wizard of Oz at Sphere” has sold 2 million tickets since it bowed on Aug. 28, 2025, raking in more than $260 million in ticket sales, the Hollywood Reporter said.
So what’s the next classic film to get the Sphere treatment? Some have suggested “Star Wars” or “Jurassic Park.”
But I think a good one would be the classic movie musical “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971). I’d pay to see that at the Sphere.
Meanwhile, Sphere Entertainment Co. on Jan. 18 announced its intent to build a second U.S. Sphere venue, using a smaller-scale design, at National Harbor in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It will have 6,000 seats vs. about 18,000 seats at the Las Vegas Sphere.
The company had earlier announced plans to build a Sphere arena in Abu Dhabi.

Photos: Promotional art for “The Wizard of Oz at Sphere” (top); artist's depiction of the Sphere at National Harbor.







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Sunday, January 18, 2026

Celebrities at CES 2026: Gwen Stefani, K-pop boy band Riize and more


The CES 2026 tech trade show in Las Vegas had only a sprinkling of celebrities this year.
K-pop boy band Riize appeared at the Samsung media event as the South Korean company promoted new smart music speakers and folding smartphones.
Pop singer Gwen Stefani performed after the Lenovo keynote presentation at the Sphere. Soccer great Alex Morgan also attended the Lenovo keynote.
Other celebrities spoke on panels during conference sessions. They included tennis great Serena Williams; RZA (Bobby Diggs), rapper and leader of the Wu-Tang Clan; Hank Shocklee, member of the rap group Public Enemy; and Will.i.am, music producer and member of the group Black Eyed Peas.
Also on-site were New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart and retired Phoenix Mercury basketball star Diana Taurasi.
The Variety Entertainment Summit at the show featured interviews with actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Billy Magnussen and Breckin Meyer.
Public Enemy performed a private show for Yahoo and the Black Eyed Peas also did a private show during CES.
The official CES closing party featured English DJ Duke Dumont.

Photos: Gwen Stefani performs at Lenovo event on Jan. 6. Riize at Samsung event on Jan. 4. (Patrick Seitz photos)


Related articles:

K-Pop Stars RIIZE Take Over CES to Help Samsung Unveil New Tri-Fold Phone and Micro RGB TV. (Rolling Stone; Jan. 8, 2026)

Actor and startup founder Joseph Gordon-Levitt worries that AI's biz model is "leading us down a dark path" (TechCrunch; Jan. 7, 2026)

Serena Williams Aims To "Change The Noise And Let People Know That It's Great To Invest In Us" (AfroTech; Jan. 8, 2026)










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Friday, January 16, 2026

CES 2026 news in review: Humanoids, AI chips, autonomous industrial gear and more


The following is a roundup of my stories from CES 2026 at Investors.com.

Silicon Labs sees AI moving to the intelligent edge. (Jan. 15, 2026)

Videoconferencing, gaming gear key areas for Logitech. (Jan. 14, 2026)

SoundHound stock in doghouse as sales growth slows. (Jan. 14, 2026)

Oshkosh adds autonomy to industrial, construction gear. (Jan. 13, 2026)

Humanoid robots captivate crowds at CES 2026 tech trade show. (Jan. 9, 2026)

CES 2026 show is flush with toilet tech. (Jan. 9, 2026)

Wearable AI gadgets could be next big thing. (Jan. 9, 2026)

Caterpillar bringing AI smarts, autonomy to construction sites. (Jan. 8, 2026)

Lenovo’s Qira joins crowded AI voice assistant market. (Jan. 7, 2026)

Nvidia looks to sell more advanced AI chips to China. (Jan. 7, 2026)

Nvidia analysts upbeat after AI chipmaker’s CES 2026 report. (Jan. 6, 2026)

AMD promotes new AI chip, sees industry demand reaching yottaflops. (Jan. 6, 2026)

Nvidia touts latest AI processor, Rubin, at CES 2026. (Jan. 5, 2026)

CES 2026: How AI is fueling hardware upgrades, productivity. (Jan. 5, 2026)

CES 2026: AI, robots, wearables, industrial machines in focus. (Dec. 30, 2025)

Nvidia, IBD Stock of the Day, actionable ahead of CES news. (Dec. 24, 2025)

Photo: Humanoid robots at CES 2026 (Unitree Robotics)

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Sunday, January 11, 2026

CES 2026 buzzword of the show: Humanoids


Humanoid robots stole the show at the annual CES tech conference in Las Vegas last week, where they dealt cards, folded laundry, poured coffee, tended bar, played table tennis, moved warehouse totes and performed martial arts.
Humanoids are part of the larger trend of physical AI, which is the embodiment of artificial intelligence. Physical AI at CES 2026 also included autonomous vehicles and robots for vacuuming carpets, mopping floors, cleaning pools and mowing lawns, among other chores.
Humanoid robot demonstrations attracted big crowds to exhibitors such as Agility Robotics, Hyundai, LG Electronics and Unitree Robotics. And Mobileye made headlines with its $900 million purchase of Mentee Robotics.
Consumer electronics vendors big and small at CES 2026 showed off a kaleidoscope of devices, ranging from the practical to the bizarre. They spanned cinema-style televisions and AI-enabled cooking appliances to furry robotic pets, generative-AI art displays and even sex toys.
The four-day conference ran Jan. 6-9 after two days of media events. This year's show attracted more than 148,000 attendees and featured over 4,100 exhibitors. CES 2026 also drew more than 6,900 news media, content creators and industry analysts.
Consumer electronics makers such as LG Electronics and Samsung showed off smart devices for the living room, kitchen, laundry room and bathroom. Big tech firms Nvidia, AMD and others touted their latest technology advancements.
Companies not usually considered tech firms at CES 2026 included beauty giant L'Oreal and toymaker Lego.

CES buzzwords through the years:

2010: Green
2011: Smart
2012: Ultra
2013: Super
2014: Curved
2015: Wearable
2016: HDR (high dynamic range)
2017: Voice
2018: AI (artificial intelligence)
2019: 5G
2020: Streaming
2021: Pandemic
2022: Metaverse
2023: Augmented reality
2024: Generative artificial intelligence (or GenAI)
2025: Agentic AI
2026: Humanoids

Photos: LG Electronics robot Cloid folds laundry (LG); Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics introduced its latest Atlas robot (Hyundai); Mobileye announced its acquisition of Mentee Robotics (Mobileye); and Agility Robotics robot Digit moves totes in fulfillment center (Agility Robotics).

Related articles and press releases:

Humanoid Robots Captivate Crowds At CES 2026 Tech Trade Show (Investor s Business Daily; Jan. 9, 2026)

CES 2026: The Future is Here (Consumer Technology Association; Jan. 9, 2026)

LG Electronics Presents LG CLOiD Home Robot to Demonstrate "Zero Labor Home" at CES 2026 (LG; Jan. 4, 2026)

Hyundai Motor Group Announces AI Robotics Strategy to Lead Human-Centered Robotics Era at CES 2026 (Hyundai; Jan. 5, 2026)

Boston Dynamics Unveils New Atlas Robot to Revolutionize Industry (Boston Dynamics; Jan. 5, 2026)

Mobileye To Acquire Mentee Robotics to Accelerate Physical AI Leadership (Mobileye; Jan. 6, 2026)




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Thursday, January 1, 2026

Top 20 celebrities and public figures predicted to die in 2026


For the second year in a row, contestants at the dead pool website Stiffs.com have chosen actor Dick Van Dyke as the public figure most likely to die in 2026.
Other notables in the top 10 include former U.S. President Joe Biden and current President Donald Trump, though the inclusion of the latter is probably just wishful thinking.
The annual list contains the usual geriatrics and those suffering health problems.
Of the top 20 public figures marked for death in 2025 by Stiffs.com, only two met the grim reaper. They were actress June Lockhart and actor Gene Hackman.
What follows are the top 20 public figures (with their ages) predicted to die in 2026, according to Stiffs.com.

1. Dick Van Dyke, 100, actor
2. Mel Brooks, 99, comedian, writer, actor, director
3. Eva Marie Saint, 101, actress
4. Alan Greenspan. 99, former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve
5. David Attenborough, 99, broadcaster and naturalist
6. Clint Eastwood, 95, actor and director
7. Gene Shalit, 99, film critic for NBC's "The Today Show"
8. Joe Biden, 83, former U.S. president
9. Buzz Aldrin, 95, U.S. astronaut
10. Donald Trump, 79, current U.S. president
11. Noam Chomsky, 97, academic and social critic
12. Yoko Ono, 92, Japanese multimedia artist and peace activist
13. Bruce Willis, 70, actor
14. Joanne Woodward, 95, actress
15. Doc Severinsen, 98, jazz trumpeter and band leader
16. Marv Levy, 100, pro football coach
17. Willie Nelson, 92, singer and songwriter
18. Tippi Hedren, 95, actress
19. Harvey Weinstein, 73, film producer and convicted sex offender
20. Rupert Murdoch, 94, media mogul

Here are some notable younger public figures predicted to die this year by multiple Stiffs.com dead-pool players:

22. Eric Dane, 53, actor
46. Michael J. Fox, 64, actor
56. Andy Dick, 60, comedian and actor
74. Celine Dion, 57, singer
90. Randy Moss, 48, football player
92. Britney Spears, 44, singer
103. Christina Applegate, 54, actress
124. Charlie Sheen, 60, actor
139. Sean Combs, aka P. Diddy, 56, rapper, music producer and accused sex offender
155. Amanda Bynes, 39, actress

Photo: Donald Trump mugshot from Aug. 24, 2023, at the Fulton County jail in Georgia.

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